Improvement in bakjos



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JOHN FIELD, OF

NEW YORK, N. Y.

Leners Pawn: No. 89,923,daw1 May 11, 1869.

IMPRQVEMENT 1N Bsmos.

The Schedule referred to m these Letters Patent and making part ofthesame.

To all whom it ma/y concer-n: A

Beit known that I, JOHN FIELD, of the city, county, and State of NewYork, have made certain new and useful Improvement-s in the Constructionof Banjos;` and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear,and exact description of the same, reference beinghad to the.accompanying drawings, and letters l both iigures,

Heretofore the sides of the drums of banjos have been constructed ofseveral parts, separately made, and then attached together, so as toprovidefor the4 requisite circular edge, over which the skin is drawn,for attaohin g the handle, or stick, for having shoulders, orprojections, in which the screwstake hold to tighten the stretcher-ringupon the skin, and for obtaining proper sound and strength of the drum.

The nature of my invention consists in so formingand constructing theside of the drum, that with the production of one circular frame, whichmay be cast, or otherwise formed, by a simple operation, and a circularband placed on it, all the requisite provisions of the side of the drumare at once obtained, without the production oi' a number of parts,which have to be attached together, and with a simpler operation,`

in less time, with less labor and expense, than wit-h the constructionheretofore known.

.'lo enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, Iwill proceed to describe its construction and details.

In the drawings- A represents -a circular frame, which consists of aseries of vertical bars l l l, of'. equal height, and of an even number,distributed in a circle, their lower parts connected and forming a solidring, 2.

Near the upper end, and at equal distances from the top, each bar isformed with a projection outward, 3, so that by placing a ring, B, ofcorresponding diameter and height, over the ends of the bars l I 1, torest upon the said projections 3 3, a-circular edge on the upper end ofthe frame A is obtained, which serves to suppoitthe skin of the banjo.

Between two of the opposite bars l l, on two opposite sides of the frameA, a cross-piece, 4, is formed,

connecting the said lbars a short distance above the ring-portion 2, sothat a right-angular opening, 5, is obtained on two opposite sides,through which the handle, orstick of the banjo passes, and serves toseeure the same.

. After` ,the production of this frame A., which may. be cast, orotherwise formed in asimple operation at 1 once, and the ringB placeduponit,-the,side of the j drum is ready produced;

O, in the drawing, represents the stretcher-ring or band; DD, theAtightening-screws for. pressing down the stretcher-ring, or band; and

F, the handle, or stick of the'banjo, on which the strings are wound np.

In order to complete the drum of the banjo, -tne projections 3 3 aredrilled 'and tapped to t the tightching-screws D D, and thestretcher-band is provided with corresponding holes, so that by placingthe skin over the edge of the ring B,.and placing the stretcherband overthe skin, passing the screws D D through the stretcher-baud, and drawingthem in their respective perforations of th'evprojections 3 3, the" skinis stretched over the top of the frame A, and by placing the handle, orstick in the openingk 5,`the drum is completed, and provided with allthe requisites 4for strength and good sound, and produced in less time,with a simple operation, with less labor, and less expense, than thoseheretofore known or used.'

Having fully described my improvement,

What I claim therein, and desire to secure by Let- A ters'Patent, is

vConstructing the drum of banjos with a frame, A,

formed with the projections 3 3, and cross-'pieces 4.4,

and ring B, substantially as and for the purpose herein shown. v

JOHN FIELD. Witnesses:l

GEORGE S. Buscar), R. BOEHLEN.

